The prior art is replete with different forms of trailer hitches for vehicles. Many of these prior art hitches are adapted to fit a limited number of vehicles and are not capable of accommodating vehicles of different widths. The widths between the frame members of different vehicles can vary more than nine inches and it has been generally necessary for firms which sell this type of product to carry a large inventory of trailer hitch assemblies to satisfy the needs of their customers.
Attachment of trailer hitches has also been made more difficult by the many varied vehicle rear bumper configurations, as for example, the increasing use of plastic covered bumpers. Further, many of the more recent bumper designs are totally unsuitable for the normally encountered trailer hitch loads.
While certain of the prior art has addressed the hitch "adjustability" question, they have disclosed highly complex, difficult to use and inherently expensive trailer hitches. Examples of such prior art patents are U.S. Pat. No. 2,408,531 to Reimann et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,458 to Garnham; both of which provide a very limited range of adjustability.
Accordingly, there is a current and important need to provide a simple, easy to use, inexpensive, universally adjustable trailer hitch which can be attached to the frames of a wide range of vehicles of different widths.